In the age of instant gratification, where digital devices get you what you want faster than ever, it pays to have a marketing campaign that is as specific as possible. One of the ways of achieving this is through a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign for your website.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an internet marketing strategy, that improves a number of visitors to a particular website. Generally, this works by focusing on specific industry keywords and regional keywords (if applicable—based on client base). These keywords are then strategically placed within a website’s code and content so eventually search engines will place that particular website higher in their search results. Higher search results equal that needed edge over your competition in the digital realm.
SEO vs. SEM
First off, what is SEM? Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is an internet marketing strategy where website owners pay to be placed on search engine result pages (SERPs)—usually in the right side of the page.
Why not just forgo SEO and pay for placement?
- First, people in western societies read from top to bottom, left to right. These placements tend to be shown on the right side.
- Second, you’re paying for placement. Which could be understandable if in a denser community, such as New York, NY.
- Third, because of the nature of the strategic content and keyword placement, your website will be more user-friendly. Which will enhance the user experience (UX—reserved for a later post).
You can certainly use both SEO and SEM in conjunction; this is definitely recommended for larger markets. In the long run, if you had to choose between the two, we definitely recommend SEO over SEM. It’s just a win-win situation.